done in pa.

reeltime · May 24, 2016

friday and saturday hunts were fun ( well except for the rain saturday) but was in birds both days letting a few 2 year olds walk.

no hunting here on sunday so I got more scouting time in first thing in the morning and again late morning and evening. in between all the scouting I worked on digging out the dirt bank along mom and dads house so we could build the barn stone retaining wall as a preparation step for me to form up and pour her cement patio.

monday morning I was walking away from the truck at 3:30 am under clear starlit and moon light skies, Finally I was going to get on the ridge above a neighbors barn, I had seen a longbeard up there almost every time I scouted his farm but could never put spurs on him even with the spotting scope. it had rained sunday night till about 10 pm so I figured the fresh planted fields would be hit hard.

With the hay being about mid thigh height it didn't take long to be soaked. I had listened to this bird a number of days and knew where he liked roosting. with the bright moon light and 0 wind the last 300 yards was tricky I tried staying under the overhanging limbs of the fencerow trees and moved at a snails pace as I knew that I was in plain sight of the gobbler and his hens, even at 4am it was bright enough I could of seen a turkey on the ground easily at 100 yards.

I had already picked out a likely set up tree through the spotting scope but just needed to verify it once I got to the massive old oak tree. It seemed to take forever for the first crow to start up, heard 5 different gobblers anywhere from 300 yards to a mile away, filed all the locations away in the memory bank. by now the temps had taken a big jump and the fog was really building.

Finally a hen starts up and he gobbles at her directly across the field from me, but sounded like he was back off the field 50 yards or so. I did a loud flydown with the wing breaking some branches before thumping the ground he bought it hook line and sinker when he double gobbled at me.... he sounded good, I hit him with some soft yelps and clucks and barely got the bomber back in the vest pocket and my hands on the gun when I see him sailing in like a b-52 and he touched down 15 yards from me! I dont think he had 2 toes on the ground before he was in full strut.

didn't take me long to see that he was going to get a pass... another lovesick 2 year old. the hens finally flew out to the field and he went strutting down the edge to the vocal hen. once he went over the rise I was on my feet and motoring to one of the other birds that had a decent sounding gobble. we played cat and mouse for a bit but he was with a hen and was not gonna leave her. I backed out and started trolling the edge of an old strip mine when I get blasted by a gobble, I hit the pine tree next to me just as the first bird came into view.....the leader of the rat pack.... 6 jakes. let them all walk away and back on my feet again.

did some more trolling and working back to the truck I was up on the high ridge above where I parked and a buddy from ny had sent me a text saying he was headed down wed. night. and wanting to know how it was going. was typing the text when a bird hammers way out in the neighbors field. I eased my way that direction clucking and yelping as I walked the logging road and he was hitting every call. I get set up when I felt I was close enough and he gobbled steady along the edge of the field making his way to the logging road turned right and walked right to me where I had set up in the old log landing area. He too was sporting sub inch spurs so I let him walk away, I get another text from my buddy and text back another 2 yo gotta find a good bird.

back at the truck and it was 9:45 I knew where I was going! I get to the farm and sure enough the silage thief is off his little island. there is only 1 little spot to see him from and its almost a mile walk down the creek bed to get to the little strip of trees which run along a near vertical bank of nearly 100 foot rise up to the grain fields. I parked the truck as the farmer was going by he stopped, we chatted for a bit and when I said where I was going and I was after the grain thief he said his brother was there that morning and never heard a gobble. I said if I can get him to gobble after 11 he may get a ride in the truck. he told me I better get moving since he knows my route, and told me he would stay out of there till my truck leaves. I jokingly said I will be back by noon.....

down the creek I go get into the finger of trees and work my way along the bottom till I can just barely make out the upper inside corner of the upper field. I unload the gun and literally on hands and knees start scaling the hillside using small trees to pull myself up and using them as basically steps all the way to the top. I get to the old sheep fence the farmer has along the hill to keep the cattle out of danger with the hill and I ease over the fence and set down against a big black walnut tree, I am drenched with sweat its now 11:25.

I get all situated slip the bomber out of my vest and do my cluck and yelp series and he cuts me off, thats 1, wait a few minutes yelp into clucks and he cuts me off again thats 2, I wait 5 minutes call again he hits me again a lot closer, thats 3. I wait another 5 minutes call again...nothing time to put the call away and get ready. seems like an eternity before I hear him do his where are you cluck about 30 yards in front of me and then I see the grass waving back and forth coming at me. twice he stretched way up but could not verify it was him.

he has slowly weaved through the grass and is now at 20 yards, he periscopes up, still cant verify its the thief, his head looks big enough to be him but I want to make certain its him, I know chances are it is because he has never allowed another gobbler to be with him even through the winter he was alone.

Finally he drops into about 3/4 strut with his fan up and its confirmed! no mistaking that tail! I ease the safe off even though I can only see his fan above the grass, finally he periscopes up again and I ease off the safety, crosshairs right on the tip of his beak,,,,,,,,, literally blew him backwards with the shot. I get up walk up to him and fully confirm its the silage thief. we have had some fun hunts the last few years, passed him at 2 & 3 years old, didn't get a chance to hunt him last year but kept tabs on him and then I turned up the heat on him this year and finally it all came together yesterday.

filled out my tag, took some pics at 11:45. over the shoulder he went and out around his island and down the tractor path walking past the silage bags. I get down to the road and as I am walking back to the truck I hear the farmer coming up the road on the tractor, he stops and says I don't even have to ask if thats him I see the skinny tail its him,,, well he aughta be good eatin that sumbit did nothing but tear holes in my silage bags so he had easy eats... and by the way you said you would be gone by noon you have 2 minutes to get to your truck as he laughed and drove away.

lightweight at 15 lbs.

beard 10 1/2"

spurs 1 3/8"

only 11 tail feathers, his wings were so beat up from fighting I don't even know how he flew up to roost, not worn from strutting, broke off or completely missing wing feathers. he musta been a southpaw cause the left wing was really bad, if he could fly and distance it was probably in a circle.